The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience (MRR) at UC Davis invites researchers at U.S. universities to submit proposals for four-year research projects that support our mission to generate and transfer into action innovations that will bolster resilience, keeping rural individuals, households, communities and markets in positions of economic viability from which they can sustain and accelerate a path of inclusive agricultural growth.

Deadlines

• 10/7/19 5pm PT: Letter of Intent (one paragraph)
• 11/17/19 12 am PT: Full Proposal

Funding

• Maximum request amount: $750,000
• Maximum request for seed grants and feasibility studies: $40,000

Researchers

• Proposals must be led from a U.S. university and must identify at least one PI from a host-country institution
• Researchers will be required to contribute toward integrating research findings in to policy-focused publications and will participate in dissemination events and activities

Projects

• Proposals should tie into one or more MRR research priorities:
  • Enabling Resilient Escapes from Poverty
  • Financial and Agronomic Innovations for Inclusive Growth and Resilience
  • Resilient Systems for Broadly-based Agricultural Growth
• Projects will take place in Feed the Future target, Feed the Future aligned or resilience-focus countries as indicated by USAID
• We encourage those that include deliberate learning objectives related to gender, youth and nutrition either as a primary focus of the research or as relevant cross-cutting issues

Selection

• Proposals will be reviewed by the MRR Innovation Lab Director, Associate Director and independent reviewers; the MRR Board of Directors will make final selections
• The MRR Innovation Lab anticipates funding 4-8 proposals under this solicitation, with a second RFP for U.S. university researchers issued in October 2020

Questions on this solicitation may be directed to the BASIS/MRR Innovation Lab office at [email protected] or 530-752-7252.

On Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 9 a.m. PT, the MRR Innovation Lab will host a one-hour Twitter chat @MRRInnovLab #MRRfunding to discuss the call and to answer questions from potential applicants. Questions may be submitted in advance via [email protected] or @MRRInnovLab. After the chat, all questions and responses will be posted to this page for reference. 

Learn more about the 2019 Request for Proposals.